Blears' shock at campaigner's death

HAZEL Blears has spoken of her shock after a housing campaigner killed himself after emailing a suicide note to a government department which sent him a £3,000 bill.

As reported in the M.E.N. Neil Hill, 57, had received a demand to cover legal fees from Treasury solicitors acting on behalf of Ms Blears - the Communities and Local Government Secretary and Salford MP.

HAZEL Blears has spoken of her shock after a housing campaigner killed himself after emailing a suicide note to a government department which sent him a £3,000 bill.

As reported in the M.E.N. Neil Hill, 57, had received a demand to cover legal fees from Treasury solicitors acting on behalf of Ms Blears - the Communities and Local Government Secretary and Salford MP.

Mr Hill, from Irlam, had lost a case he brought on behalf of hundreds of council tenants who faced rent rises.

Within an hour of the case being held at Salford County Court he had received a bill from the government.

He sent an email to a Treasury solicitor saying: "By the time you receive this I will be dead, having committed suicide. I hope you feel very proud of yourselves.

"Before you send another poor old person a bill for £3,000 please think of the consequences.

"Perhaps you'd like to explain to all my family why I can no longer cope and what your position was in ending my life."

Mr Hill was discovered hanged in his flat by police, after they were alerted by government officers three days after the suicide note was sent.

Two days before sending the e-mail he had lost the court case. He was using human rights legislation to prevent himself and hundreds of others being slapped with a rent rise after their homes were passed from Salford council to City West Housing Trust. Mr Hill's rent was going up by £4.07p a week.

Ms Blears said: "It is an awful tragedy for him and his family. This was a technical legal matter. Mr Hill had decided to mention me as Secretary of State and draw me into proceedings as I agreed the transfer of council-owned homes to City West.

"I did not know anything about this at all until I was told of the event of his death earlier this week.

"I had not dealt with the court matter personally. It was Treasury solicitors acting on behalf of my department.

Shock

"When I found out about this event I felt physical shock. Mr Hill was clearly passionate about his campaign and what he was doing which I respect. His family must be distraught and I feel for them."

Ms Blears denied that her cancelling of an appointment in Salford yesterday in which she was to attend the launch of affordable housing scheme was connected to Mr Hill's death.

"That is not true. I had other things to do. I have been out and about talking about Metrolink issues."

A spokeswoman for the Department for Local Communities and Local Government said Mr Hill had been warned that if he insisted on pursuing legal action against the Secretary of State there would costs but he continued to do so.

His case against the Department was struck out as a judge ruled he did not have a contractual agreement with Ms Blears.

His case against City West also failed - due a technicality regarding the flawed submission of papers.

A spokesman for City West said: "City West was entitled to claim costs of between £1,500 and £2000 but had not taken steps to recover them. No decision had been taken on whether to pursue Mr Hill to pay them."

Mr Hill's family have said they are appalled at the action of the Treasury solicitors. An inquest into Mr Hill's death will be held later this year.

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